The First Twenty-Five Years of the 21st Century by Fran Joyce
It’s hard to believe we’re completing the first twenty-five years of the 21st century. If you were born in 2000, you will be 25 this year! If you count the year 2000, the end of 2024 marks twenty-five years of the 21st Century. However you decide to measure the time, it’s been eventful. Where did you expect us to be as a society, nation, or world civilization?
I admit I expected better of us. We seem determined to keep repeating our mistakes and tearing down our achievements. Looking back, how do you think we’ve done? We made a lot of mistakes, but we managed to do some good along the way. I tried to highlight some of the most impactful events, but listing them all is not possible in this article. Apologies if I missed something important to you.
Take a good look at 2000-2024. Do you see any patterns emerging? Why can’t some people/countries learn to play nice? Are we really still putting Band-Aids on important issues and pandering to special interest groups who can buy the outcomes they want?
2000
March:
Pope John Paul II issues an apology for all the wrongdoings by members of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the ages. In the same month, he also visits The Holy Land, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel.
June:
Scotland becomes the first country in the U.K. to repeal Section 28 which outlawed the promotion of homosexuality. In 2003 Section 28 will be repealed in the rest of the U.K.
July:
The civil unions law in Vermont goes into effect.
August:
The first completely artificial heart, the Jarvik 2000 (capable of maintaining a blood flow and generating a pulse) is received by a human patient.
September:
The Netherlands passes a law to allow same-sex marriage, divorce, and adoption.
October:
The Bulldozer Revolution, mass demonstrations in Belgrade force the resignation of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević.
In Martin County, Kentucky, 250 million U.S. gallons of coal sludge spill creating a larger environmental disaster than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.
The U.S.S. Cole, an American destroyer, is damaged in Aden, Yemen by two suicide bombers causing the deaths of 17 crew members and wounding around 39 people.
November:
The U.S. presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush is inconclusive and is eventually resolved in Bush’s favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in December. Gore graciously concedes the election, and a peaceful transfer of power takes place in 2001.
President Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to visit Vietnam since the Vietnam War ended.
2001
January:
Apple launches iTunes to change the way the world consumes music.
Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia goes live and puts access to a myriad of information at our fingertips.
20,000 people die and 176,000 people are injured in India after an earthquake.
February:
The human genome sequence is revealed jointly by scientists from China, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, and the U.S. Mapping of entire human genome is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2003.
March:
Tensions between Palestine and Israel escalate after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon takes office.
The U.S. Economy begins to go into a recession.
April:
The Act on the Opening up of Marriage which passed into law in The Netherlands in 2000, officially goes into effect.
June:
Timothy McVeigh, the domestic terrorist convicted of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing which killed 168 people, including 19 children, becomes the first person executed in a federal execution in the United States since 1963.
September:
Violent acts of targeted terrorism kill over 3200 people in the United States when hijacked planes are used to crash into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A hijacked aircraft headed toward the U.S. Capitol building crashes in Pennsylvania when passengers make the courageous decision to prevent the terrorists from reaching their target.
October:
The United States retaliates after the terrorist attacks by launching military strikes in Afghanistan where the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding protected by the Taliban.
November:
China is admitted to the World Trade Organization.
December:
President Bush announces U.S. withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty. It becomes official in June 2002.
2002
There were 31 recognized armed conflicts in the world during 2002.
January:
President George Bush signs “No Child Left Behind” into law. It provides financial assistance to schools exhibiting academic improvement.
400,000 people are displaced in the Democratic republic of the Congo after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.
February:
The trial of former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević begins at the Hague.
March:
U.S. begins a full-scale invasion of Afghanistan.
Switzerland votes to become a member of the United Nations.
Canada bans human embryo cloning, but allows government-funded scientists to use embryo left over from fertility treatments or abortions.
April:
The Netherlands becomes the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia.
U.S. Catholic Church leaders meet with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican to discuss the sexual abuse of minors.
May:
Entrepreneur Elon Musk founds SpaceX.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter becomes the first U.S. President in or out of office to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
A Birmingham Alabama jury convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1953 murders of four girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
Russia and the U.S, sign the Moscow Treaty.
July:
The International Criminal Court is established. It will prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.
The African Union is established in Ethiopia.
The Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan sentences Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to death for the murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Three others involved receive life sentences.
James Traficant is expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives after being convicted of ten felony counts, including taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his congressional staff to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and houseboat in Washington, D.C.
Nine coal miners in Somerset County, Pennsylvania are rescued after being trapped for 77 hours underground in the flooded Quecreek Mine.
October:
The Beltway sniper attacks in the area around Washington, D.C. begin. The attacks go on for three weeks. On October 24, spree killers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo are arrested.
Former President Jimmy Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
November:
The UN Security Council unanimously approves Resolution 1441 on Iraq forcing leader Saddam Hussein to disarm his country or face serious consequences.
The SARS virus first appears in China and spreads to 29 countries before being stopped by the global response efforts of the World Health Organization.
December:
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia are accepted and scheduled to become members of the EU by 2004.
2003
January:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
U.S. President George W. Bush announces President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. PEPFAR would go on to save twenty-five million lives by January of 2023.
Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage.
February:
During reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates killing all seven astronauts aboard.
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia adopts a new constitution and is officially renamed Serbia and Montenegro.
Between 6 and 11 million people around the world formally protest against war with Iraq.
March:
Management of the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S, Customs Service moves to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Queen Elizabeth II knights former British stockbroker, Nicholas Winston (93) who helped 669 young Jews flee Czechoslovakia one the eve of the 1939 Nazi invasion.
FBI agents raid the Birmingham, Alabama headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation on suspicion of massive corporate fraud by its top executives.
The U.S. and Britain invade Iraq without U.N. approval or support.
May:
President Bush announces major combat operations in Iraq have ended.
Al Qaeda carries out bombings of the Riyadh compound killing 26.
August:
Record high temperatures in the U.K. and France kill over 150 people.
NATO takes over the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
Widespread power blackouts in the Northern U.S. and Canada
September:
The U.K. Local Government Act 2003, repeals Section 28 of the Local Government Act of 1988 which outlawed the promotion of homosexuality.
October:
The Cedar Fire in California destroys 2200 homes, 250,000 acres of land, and kills fifteen people.
November:
Massachusetts Supreme Court rules the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
December:
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured during Operation Red Dawn by U.S. forces near his hometown of Tikrit.
2004
January:
Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover successfully lands on Mars.
February:
Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his dorm room at Harvard University.
After a directive by California Mayor Gavin Newsome, the city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
March:
Terry Nichols is convicted of state murder charges and being Timothy McVeigh’s accomplice in the Oklahoma City bombings. In May he is found guilty of 161 state murder charges.
Terrorists detonate bombs on Madrid’s rail network destroying a commuter train, damaging three stations, and killing 190 people.
Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
April:
Google introduces Gmail.
After 107 years of production, Oldsmobile builds its final car.
U.S. media release photos of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraq prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
May:
May 16th is the official Day of Mourning at Bykivnia forest (just outside Kyiv) where during the 1930s and early 1940s communist Bolsheviks executed 100,000 Ukrainian civilians.
Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
The New York Times publishes admission of helping to spread misinformation about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction instead of questioning these claims and verifying sources.
July:
The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid in New York City on the site of the World Trade Center. Construction begins several weeks later.
September:
An Islamic terrorist attack of a Beslan school in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia ends after 344 people mostly students and teachers are killed.
Hurricane Ivan hits Grenada killing 39 people and damaging 90% of its buildings.
Over 1,000 people in Haiti are killed by flooding after Hurricane Jeanne.
October:
Wangari Maathai of Kenya becomes the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy, and peace.
In Northern Japan, a powerful earthquake and its aftershocks leave, 35 people dead, 2,200 injured, and 85,000 homeless or evacuated.
Fidel Castro bans transactions in Cuba using American dollars.
November:
U.S. President George W. Bush is reelected.
PLO Chairman Yassar Arafat dies and is replaced by Mahmoud Abbas.
Russia officially ratifies the Kyoto Protocol.
The Orange Revolution begins in Ukraine.
2005
January:
Eris the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system is discovered by Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz using images taken at the Palomar Observatory.
Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights Workers in Mississippi.
February:
Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act becoming the fourth country to sanction same-sex marriage.
Leaders in Palestine and Israel declare a truce.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman officially cancels the 2004-05 NHL season because of an unsettled labor dispute.
March:
The UN warns that as many as 90 million Africans could be infected with HIV in the future without further action to limit/stop the spread of the disease.
A major explosion and fire at BP’s Texas City Refinery kill fifteen workers in Texas City, Texas.
April:
The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He takes the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.
Syria withdraws troops from Lebanon ending its 29-year military domination of Lebanon.
The first civil union in New Zealand takes place.
June:
Spain legalizes same-sex marriage.
July:
Hurricane Dennis causes massive damage in the Florida panhandle.
Four terrorists are arrested after attempting to target London’s public transit system with bombs.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army ends its thirty-year armed campaign in Northern Ireland.
August:
Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the Gulf Coast of the United States.
September:
Hurricane Rota damages Beaumont, Texas, and parts of southwestern Louisiana.
October:
A riot breaks out in Toledo, Ohio during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest.
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad.
November:
Angela Merkel becomes the first female chancellor of Germany.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becomes the president of Liberia becoming the first woman to lead an African country.
First partial human face transplant is performed in France.
The Civil Partnership Act in the U.K. becomes official. Elton John and David Furnish marry in England.
2006
January:
Australia faces record heat, bush fires, and power outages.
Evo Morales becomes the first indigenous president of Bolivia.
Western Union discontinues its telegram service.
Sandra Day O’Connor retires and is replaced by ultraconservative Justice Samuel Alito.
February:
The U.S. Army decommissions the last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).
A massive mudslide in the Philippines kills 1,126 people.
March:
South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signs bill into legislation banning most abortions in the state.
Jack Dorsey sends first ever tweet on Twitter.
The UN Commission on Human Rights holds its final meeting.
May:
An earthquake in Java kills over 5,700 and leaves over 200,000 homeless.
June:
The U.S. Senate officially apologizes for not creating anti-lynching legislation.
Montenegro is admitted to the UN.
The U.S. Supreme Court rules President George W. Bush’s plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law.
November:
South Africa passes a Civil Union Act making it the fifth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
2007
Mauritania becomes the last country to criminalize slavery ( it was officially abolished there in 1981) making slavery illegal in every country in the world.
January:
Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House in the U.S. House of Representatives
Steve Jobs debuts the iPhone
February:
Tony Dungy becomes the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl.
A truck bomb explodes in Baghdad killing at least 135 people and injuring 339 others.
North Korea agrees to shut down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon by April 14 in exchange for energy aid – 50,000 tons of heavy fuel coal.
The International Court of Justice finds Serbia guilty of preventing genocide during the Srebrenica massacre, but finds it not directly responsible or complicit in the act.
April:
School shooting at Virginia Tech leaves 32 dead. Shooter dies by suicide.
A series of bombings around the city of Baghdad kill almost 200 people.
May:
A tornado rips through Kiowa County, Kansa killing eleven residents and destroying 95% of the town.
June:
Hamas wins political party control of the Gaza Strip.
A European heat wave causes 11 deaths, 200 wildfires, and major power outages in Greece.
July:
Operation Banner ends after becoming the longest continuous deployment in British military history.
August:
Multiple suicide bombings kill 572 people in Northern Iraq.
An earthquake strikes Peru killing over 500 people, injuring 1,300 and causing tsunami warnings in the Pacific Ocean.
September:
Israeli Air Force planes attack a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria.
UN General Assembly adopts the declaration of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
October:
Cristina Fernandez becomes the first directly elected female President of Argentina.
November:
Whistleblower website, WikiLeaks leaks the standard U.S. army protocol at Guantanamo Bay.
Jokela school shooting in Finland.
As many as 15,000 people die after a cyclone hits Bangladesh.
December:
The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Malta, Lithuania, , and Latvia join the Schengen border-free zone.
Over 1,000 people die during rioting in Mombasa, Kenya after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the general election.
2008
January:
Stock markets around the world plunge in response to a feared recession in The U.S. after the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis.
February:
Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
WikiLeaks releases allegations of illegal banking practices by the Cayman Islands branch of the Swiss banking corporation, Julius Baer.
March:
Venezuela an Ecuador move troops to the Colombian border after a Colombian raid against FARC guerrillas inside Ecuadorian territory.
Bhutan holds first ever general elections changing from an absolute monarchy to a multiparty democracy.
May:
A cyclone kills over 138,000 people in Myanmar.
An earthquake strikes Sichuan, China killing more than 87,000 people.
States in South America found the Union of South American Nations.
Nepal banishes its 240-year-old monarchy in favor of becoming a republic.
June:
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologizes on behalf of the Canadian government to the country’s First Nations for the Canadian Indian residential school system.
July:
Fifteen hostages are rescued from FARC rebels by Colombian security forces.
August:
India and the U.S. sign historic Civil Nuclear deal.
Georgia intervenes against Russian-backed separatists in two Georgian regions. Russia invades Georgis beginning the first major European ground war of the 21st century.
September:
Quentin Bryce becomes the first female Governor-General of Australia.
Hurricane Ike kills 113 in Texas and causes $30billion in damages.
Stock market woes caused by Lehman Brother’s bankruptcy filing, Merrill Lynch’s acquisition by Bank of America, and AIG’s request for short-term financing from the Federal Reserve.
A suicide bomber in Pakistan kills 54 and injures 266.
October:
In response to the Global Financial Crisis, U.S. President George W. Bush signs the revised Emergency Economic Stabilization Act into law creating a $700 billion Treasury fund to purchase failing banks.
November:
Barack Obama defeats John McCain to become the first Black President of the U.S.
December:
Bernie Madoff is arrested for operating the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
The International Tribunal for Rwanda convicts Théoneste Bagosora and two other senior Rwandan army officers of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. They receive life imprisonment sentences for their roles in the Rwandan genocide.
In Roane County, Tennessee an ash dike ruptures at a solid waste containment area creating the largest coal ash slurry industrial accident in U.S. history.
Israel invades the Gaza Strip after Hamas fires rockets into Israeli territory. Israel alleges that Hanas is smuggling weapons into the area.
2009
January:
Japan, Mexico, Türkiye, and Uganda assume their seats on the UN Security Council.
A Bay Area Transit police officer shots and kills an unarmed black man, Oscar Grant, at the Fruitville Station. This event becomes the catalyst for the global Black Lives Matter movement.
Hamas announces it will accept Israeli Defense Forces offer of a cease-fire to end the three-week Gaza War. In the following weeks after Israel withdraws from Gaza, both sides continue intermittent airstrikes.
Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the U.S.
Former Union of Congolese Patriots leader, Thomas Lubanga is tried by the International Criminal Court for training child soldiers to kill, pillage, and rape.
WikiLeaks releases 86 intercepted telephone recordings of politicians and businessmen involved in the 2008 Peru oil scandal.
February:
Bushfires in Victoria kill 173 people in the worst natura disaster in Australia’s history.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia acquits former Serbian president Milan Milutinović of war crimes during the Kosovo War.
March:
The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
April:
Albania and Croatia join NATO.
An earthquake strikes near L’Aquilla, Italy killing 113 and injuring more than1500 people.
May:
The Sri Lankan Civil War ends with the total military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after more than 25 years of fighting.
June:
An outbreak of N1H1 influenza strain (Swine flu) is deemed a global pandemic.
Analog TV ends in the U.S. as part of the transition to digital TV.
Mass protests break out in Iran following the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
July:
The world mourns the death of pop star Michael Jackson.
August:
Bolivia becomes the first South American country to declare the right of indigenous people to govern themselves.
2010
January:
Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
February:
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chili triggers a tsunami killing at least 525 people.
April:
Julian Assange leaks footage of a 2007 airstrike in Iraq titled “collateral Murder” on WikiLeaks.
Polish President Lech Kaczyński and 95 other people die in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia.
The Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform explodes in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers and causing one of the largest oil spills in history prompting international debate about the safety of practices and procedure for offshore drilling.
May:
The 2010 Flash Crash, a trillion-dollar stock market crash that lasts for 36 minutes is initiated by a series of automated trading programs in a feedback loop.
June:
Hundreds killed in ethnic riots in Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.
Julia Gillard is sworn in as the first female president of Australia.
July:
WikiLeaks leaks over 90,000 internal reports about the U.S. led involvement in the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010.
Over 1600 people are killed and more than one million are displaced in Pakistan after heavy monsoon rains and flooding.
August:
W.H.O. declares theN1H1 flu epidemic over.
October:
Instagram is launched.
Dilma Rousseff is elected the first Female president of Brazil.
November:
North Korea shells Yeonpyeong Island. South Korea responds and tensions along the Korean Peninsula escalate.
2011:
February:
Uncertainty over Libyan oil output during The First Libyan War cause crude oil prices to rise 20% over a two-week period following the Arab Spring causing the 2011 energy crisis.
April:
The 2011 Super outbreak forms in the Southern, Midwest, and Eastern U.S. with a tornado count of 362; killing 324 people and injuring over 2,200.
May:
Osama bin Laden is killed during an American military operation in Pakistan.
The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil approves same-sex marriage.
An earthquake in Spain kills 9 and injures over 400 people.
A tornado in Joplin, Mississippi kills 158 people and injures 1,150.
July:
South Sudan secedes from Sudan and joins the UN.
The UN declares a famine in southern Somalia.
Heavy flooding in Thailand affects over 12.8 million people.
August:
Concern over the European sovereign debt crisis and the U.S. Debt ceiling crisis brought on by the Republican controlled House of Representatives’ fight with President Barack Obama over House demands for spending cuts cause heavy losses in stock exchanges worldwide.
September:
Occupy Wall Street Protests begin.
October:
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is killed.
Basque separatist militant group ETA declares an end to its 43-year campaign of political violence.
UNESCO admits Palestine as a member.
December:
The U.S. formally declares an end to the Iraq War.
2012
January:
The EU adopts an embargo against Iran because of the country’s continued efforts to enrich uranium.
February:
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years as the ruling monarch of the U.K.
Iran stops shipments of oil to Britain and France in protest of the EU embargo.
March:
After 246 years since its first printing, the Encyclopedia Britannica discontinues its print edition.
April:
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is found guilty on eleven counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
June:
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak first identified.
The Congress of Paraguay approves the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo, and he is removed from power.
Lonesome George the last known remaining member of the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies dies in Galapagos National Park making this subspecies extinct.
Mohamed Morsi becomes the first President of Egypt to be elected democratically by the Egyptian people.
July:
Twelve people are killed and 58 injured in a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
The worst power outage in world history leaves 620 million people in India without power.
August:
Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory mission’s rover successfully lands on Mars.
September:
Canada closes its embassy in Tehran, cuts diplomatic ties with Iran, and expels Iranian diplomats from Ottawa over support for Syria, nuclear plans, and human rights abuses.
Terrorist attacks around the world escalate. During the attack of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, U.S. Ambassador Stevens, and U.S, Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith are killed. The next day mortar fire against a CIA annex kills two CIA contractors and injures ten others.
The U.K. informs the WHO about a novel coronavirus case originating from Saudi Arabia.
October:
Hurricane Sandy kills 233 people and causes $68.7 billion damage.
November:
U.S. President Barack Obama is reelected defeating Mitt Romney.
Israel launches Operation Pillar of Defense against the Palestinian-governed Gaza Strip – 140 Palestinians and five Israelis are killed. Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines severely damages the island of Mindanao, kills over 1067 people, and leaves 833 people missing.
The UN General Assembly approves a motion granting Palestine a non-member observer state status.
December:
The U.S. state of Washington becomes the first jurisdiction in the modern world to legalize the possession of cannabis for personal use.
The UN Climate Change Conference votes to extend the Kyoto Protocol until 2020.
Twenty-eight people, including the gunman are killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut.
Fifty-five people drown after an overcrowded boat capsizes off the coast of Somalia.
2013
January:
At least 130 people are killed and 270 injured in several bomb blasts in Pakistan.
February:
In the largest cybersecurity breach in EAS history, Emergency Alerts systems for five different TV stations across the U.S. are hijacked and the perpetrator air a zombie apocalypse hoax.
North Korea conducts a third underground nuclear test. International sanctions are ordered in response.
Pope Benedict XVI voluntarily resigns. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Of Argentina replaces him and becomes Pope Francis on March 13.
April:
Two Chechnya-born Islamist brothers detonate two bombs at the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring 264 others.
An earthquake in Sichuan, China kills 263 people and injures 11,000.
The Savar building in Bangladesh collapses killing 1.134 people.
May:
The W.H.O. names the novel coronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome , MERS.
June:
Former CIS employee Edward Snowden discloses operations involving the U.S. government mass surveillance program to U.S. news publications before fleeing the country. He later receives asylum in Russia.
United States v. Windsor – SCOTUS overturns a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act and grants federal recognition to same-sex marriage in the United States.
August:
When security forces in Egypt raid anti-coup camps after a military coup, 2696 people are killed. It’s labeled oe of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history by Human Rights Watch.
The Ghouta chemical attack during the Syrian Civil War kills 1,429 people.
October:
Saudi Arabia rejects a seat on the UN Security Council. Jordan takes the seat on December 6.
November:
A typhoon in hits the Philippines and Vietnam causing devastation and killing at least 6,241 people.
Iran agrees to limit their nuclear development program in exchange for sanctions relief.
2014
January:
The Elk Rive Chemical Spill in Charleston, West Virginia of the chemical MCMH from a Freedom Industries chemical plant leaves 300,000 area residents without drinkable water for over three months.
February:
The Western Africa Ebola virus epidemic begins infecting at least 28,616 people and killing at least 11,310.
Belgium becomes the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.
The number of people who utilize the internet from a mobile device overtakes the number using desktop computers for the first time. In 2016, globally more people will access the internet from mobile devices than desktops computers.
March:
The president of Venezuela severs diplomatic and political ties with Panama.
Russia formally annexes Crimea. Russia is temporarily suspended from the G8 fir its actions.
April:
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic statelet declares its independence from Ukraine.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) temporarily strips Russia of its voting rights.
Around 276 girls and women are abducted from a school in Nigeroa and held hostage (Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping).
May:
The W.H.O. identifies the spread of poliomyelitis in at least 10 countries as a major worldwide health emergency.
Boko Haram militants kill 300 people in Nigeria.
The self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic declares its independence from Ukraine.
June:
A Sunni militant group (ISIS ISIL or Daesh) begins an offensive through Northern Iraq trying to capture the city of Baghdad and oust the Shite government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. They kill 1’566 Shia Iraqi Air Force cadets.
International military operations against ISIL begin.
The Islamic state of Irk and the Levant declare itself a Caliphate.
Felipe VI replaces his father Juan Carlos I as the king of Spain.
July:
After the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers and the revenge killing of a Palestinian Teen , Israel, and Hamas resume hostilities – 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis die during the seven weeks of fighting.
Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 crashes in eastern Ukraine after being hit by a missile. All 298 people aboard die. The Un Security Council adopts Resolution 2166 (international cooperation for a full investigation of the crash) in response.
July 28 marks the 100th anniversary of when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia starting World War I.
August:
ISIS attacks in Iraq’s Sinjar District cause the massacre of over 4,000 Yazidis.
A Khmer Rouge Tribunal convicts Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan of crimes against humanity and sentences both to life imprisonment.
The U.S. military intervenes in Iraq and begins an air campaign in Northen Iraq.
The W.H.O. declares the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
The shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black man, in Ferguson, Missouri by police officers triggers riots.
September:
Scotland votes against independence from the U.K.
Civil War begins in Yemen.
The U.S. and several Arab states begin an airstrike campaign in Syria.
November:
The tallest building in the western hemisphere One World Trade Center in New York City opens.
December:
The Pakistani Taliban massacres 145 people, mostly children, at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan.
U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal diplomatic relations with Cuba.
2015
January:
Massacres in Nigeria by Boko Haram kill over 2,000 people.
Al-Qaeda gunman kill 12 people and injure 11 more at the Paris headquarters of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Over one million people and more than 40 world leaders attend an anti-terrorism demonstration.
February:
Leaders from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Germany, and France reach an agreement about the war in eastern Ukraine which includes a cease-fire agreement and the withdrawal of heavy weapons. Several hours later, Russian and Ukraine resume hostilities.
March:
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant join forces with Boko Haram.
April:
In a mass shooting at Garissa University College in Kenya, 148 people are killed by the militant terrorist organization, al-Shabaab.
A major earthquake in Nepal causes 8,875 deaths in Nepal, 130 in India, 27 in China, and 4 in Bangladesh. A second major earthquake in May will kill 218 more people.
The W.H.O declares rubella has been eradicated from the Americas.
May:
ISIS captures the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
June:
The ISIL claims responsibility for the Kobani massacre; the Sousse attacks, and the Kuwait mosque bombing during Ramadan.
Cuba becomes the first country in the world to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
July:
The government of Greece faces a major debt crisis and becomes the first country in the 71-year history of the International Monetary Fund to miss a payment.
September:
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning British monarch in history.
A stampede during the Haij pilgrimage in Mecca kills at least 2,200 people and inures 900 others.
NASA announces liquid water has been found on Mars.
Russia begins airstrikes against ISIL in Syria.
October:
In Ankara, Türkiye, a series of suicide bombings kills at least 100 people and injures 400 others.
November:
Two suicide bombers in Beirut kill 43 people and injure 400 others.
Terrorist attacks by the Levant and Islamic State of Iraq cause 130 fatalities in France.
December:
ISIL claims responsibility after two gunman open fire at a workplace in San Bernadino, California killing 14 people before dying in a shoot-out with police.
The non-profit artificial intelligence research company, OpenAI is founded in San Francisco, California.
2016
January:
International drug trafficker Joaquin Guzmán is recaptured after escaping from a maximum-security prison in Mexico.
David Bowie dies of liver cancer.
The UN lifts sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency announces Iran has dismantled its nuclear weapons program.
March:
The International Criminal Court finds former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his use of sexual violence.
President Barack Obama visits Cuba.
Ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić receive 40 years in prison after his conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian War.
April:
An earthquake in northern Ecuador kills 676 people injuring over 6,000.
June:
A gunman in Orlando Florida claiming allegiance to the Islamic State opens fire in a gay bar killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.
The U.K. votes to exit the EU.
July:
A truck attack in Nice, France kills 86 people and injures more than 400 others during Bastille Day celebrations.
The first solar-powered aircraft circumnavigates the Earth.
August:
An earthquake in Italy kills 299 people.
September:
China and the U.S. join the Paris global climate agreement.
North Korea conducts its fifth nuclear test despite heavy opposition by world leaders.
October:
Hurricane Matthew in Haiti kills 546 people and causes over $2.8 billion in damages.
U.S. government officials accuse Russia of computer hacking to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Tapes of Donald Trump privately bragging about sexual improprieties with women spark outrage, but not enough to damage his campaign.
WikiLeaks releases private emails from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
F.B.I. Director Comey announces a new investigation into Hillay Clinton’s emails after months of investigations have shown nothing actionable.
November:
Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton in the electoral college, but loses the popular vote by a substantial margin.
December:
The first effective vaccine against the Ebola virus is 70-100% effective.
The Un Security Council condemns Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
President Obama completes the planned withdrawal of the majority of American troops from Afghanistan after 15 years of war leaving 8,400 troops in place.
2017
January:
Frances Joyce and Jay Speyerer decide to create an online magazine called, This Awful Awesome Life. (Sorry I couldn’t resist adding that piece of news).The first issue appears March 2017.
A gunman in Istanbul, Türkiye dressed as Santa Claus opens fire in a at the Reina night club killing 39 people and injuring 79 others.
Millions of people worldwide join the Women’s March to peacefully protest the election/presidency of Donald Trump. There are 420 marches in the U.S. and 168 in other countries, the largest single-day protest in American history.
Trump’s first presidential acts include a massive tax cut for billionaires, and an executive order banning travel and immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations. The bans are protested nationwide for the next two weeks them blocked by several courts.
February:
North Korea test fires ballistic missiles across the Sea of Japan (East Sea) drawing condemnation from world leaders and angering Japan.
Jim Jong-nam, the eldest son of deceased North Korean leader Jim Jong-Il and half-brother of Kim Jong-un the current ruler of Noth Korea is assassinated by two women using VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.
March
The UN warns that 20 million people are at risk of starvation and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria, the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
The North American blizzard dumps up to three feet of snow in parts of Canada, northeastern U.S., and New England.
May:
An ASIL terrorist bombing attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England kills 22 people and injures more than 500 others.
June:
The Trump administration faces widespread world criticism when it announces its intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Montenegro joins NATO.
Terrorist attacks in Iran kill 17 civilians and wound 43 others.
The W.H.O. estimates that the 2016-2017 cholera outbreak in Yemen has over 200,000 cases.
A series of cyberattacks using the Petya malware virus affect organizations in Ukraine.
July:
Mosul, Iraq is declared fully liberated from the Islamis State of Iraq and the Levant.
August:
The UN Security council approves sanctions against North Korea.
The Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia held by white nationalists and other far-right groups turns violent resulting in the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer who is standing in the crowd when white supremacist James Alex Fields deliberately rams his car into it injuring 35 people and killing Heyer.
Hurricane Harvey hits the Houston, Texas area causing catastrophic damages and killing at least 118 people.
September:
Russian President Putin expels 755 diplomats in response to U.S. sanctions.
Hurricane hits the U.S. and the Caribbean causing billions of dollars in damage and killing at least 134 people.
A powerful earthquake hits Mexico City and triggers an earthquake 12 days later killing 370 people, injuring 6,000 others, and leaving thousands homeless.
October:
Sixty people die and 867 more are injured when a gunman opens fire at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Trump administration announces its intention to remove the U.S. from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
A massive blast from a truck bombing in Somalia kills at least 587npeople and injures 316 others.
November:
A gunman opens fire in a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas killing 26 and injuring 20 others.
An earthquake hits between the border of Iraq and Iran killing at least 530 and leaving over 70,000 people homeless,
The International Court of Justice finds Ratko Mladic guilty of genocide during the Bosnian War and sentences him to life in prison.
December:
Russia is banned from the Winter Olympics in South Korea after an investigation into statewide doping of athletes.
2018
January:
The U.S. government enters a federal government shutdown as a result of a dispute over DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).
China announces the first successful cloning of monkeys.
February:
A lone gunman kills 17 and injures 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
March:
Former Russian double -agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in England. The Kremlin is rumored to be responsible.
A Russian Air Force plane crashes on approach to Khmeimim air base in Syria. All 39 people who were soldiers were killed including Major-General Vladimir Yeremeyev.
China removes term limits for its leaders granting Xi Jinping President for Life status.
U.S. high school students protest gun violence and school shootings in a National School Walkout.
Putin wins fourth term as Russia’s president.
The world’s last northern white rhinoceros dies in Kenya making the subspecies functionally extinct.
People in over 900 cities participate in “March for Our Lives” to protest gun violence internationally.
Over 100 Russian diplomats are expelled by more than 20 countries following the poisonings of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
April:
Agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid a slaughterhouse and arrest over 100 undocumented Hispanic workers prompting protests and federal lawsuits about the use of extreme force by I.C.E. agents.
At least 70 people die, and hundreds are injured in a chlorine chemical attack in Douma, Syria.
The U.S., U.K., and France coordinate the bombing of Syrian military bases in response to sarin attack on civilians in Ghouta allegedly carried out by the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Thirty-four protesters in Nicaragua are killed by police while protesting cutbacks to their social security program.
A vehicle deliberately rams into a crowd in Toronto, Canada killing 10 and injuring 16 others.
Kim Jung Un crosses into South Korea for a meeting with President Moon Jae-in becoming the first North Korean president to cross the demilitarized zone since its creation in1953.
May:
The ETA separatist group announces its dissolution after 40 years of conflict and over 800 deaths in Spain.
Iower Puna erupts in Hawaii destroying buildings and forcing thousands of residents to flee the area as lava floods the land.
The Trump administration announces plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Iranian nuclear agreement.
Ireland votes to repeal its abortion ban.
The Trump administration extends its tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) to include the EU, Mexico, and Canada.
June:
At least 100 are killed and hundreds are injured when a volcano in Guatemala erupts.
At the G7 Summit in Canada, Trump pushes for the reinstatement of Russia and proposes the elimination of tariffs.
Trump and Kim Jong Un meet in Singapore. It’s the first ever summit between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
The Trump administration announces its intention to withdraw the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council.
Canada becomes the first major industrialized country to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The measure will take effect in October.
After widespread criticism about his policies, Trump signs an Executive Order suspending his zero-tolerance family separation policies. Thousands of undocumented children separated from their families under the policy will never be reunited with their parents or siblings even after the policy is suspended.
Saudi Arabia allows women to drive.
Millions of people march to protest the damage down by Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policies and insist his administration begins the process of reuniting the families affected.
July:
A heatwave hits North America killing 33 people in the Canadian Province of Quebec.
China responds to U.S. tariffs by announcing retaliatory tariffs.
Floods in Japan kill 232 and injure 495 people.
Eritrea and Ethiopia end their 20-year conflict.
The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement creating an open trade zone covering nearly one third of the global GDP is the world’s largest bilateral trade deal.
August:
The Kivu Ebola epidemic begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
An earthquake in Indonesia kills 563 people and injures more than a thousand.
September:
The Supreme Court of India decriminalizes homosexuality.
Hurricane Florence touches down in South Carolina killing 54 and causing $24.2 billion in damages.
October:
The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered and allegedly dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Türkiye.
A school shooting and bomb attack in Crimea kills 20 people and injures 70 others.
700,000 people march through central London protesting Brexit plans.
The Trump administration announces its intention to terminate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia over alleged Russian violations.
November:
A campfire ignites in Butte County, California; the resulting wildfire becomes California’s worst to date killing 88 people, destroying wildlife, and damaging over 18,804 buildings.
A Chinese scientist announces he has altered the DNA of twin girls to be resistant to the HIV virus and reveals the possibility of a second pregnancy of gene-modified baby.
December:
Vandalism and civil unrest in France.
More than half of the world’s population is now using the internet.
The Dow Jones closes at 22,445 after its worst week since 2008.
The U.S. government enters its second shutdown over a dispute about funding the border wall Trump promised Mexico would pay for. It’s the beginning of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
After weeks of losses the Dow Jones posts its largest ever one-day point gain.
2019
January:
Qatar withdraws from OPEC.
Bartholomew of Constantinople issues a formal degree granting independence to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Members of a faction of the Armed Forces of Gabon attempt a coup d’etat..
In Venezuela, a presidential crisis occurs after interim President Juan Guaidó and the National Assembly declare incumbent President Nicolás Maduro “illegitimate.” Thousands of people protest in favor of Guaidó. Several protestors are killed, and Maduro severs U.S. diplomatic ties.
The U.S, Justice Department charges the Chinese Tech firm Huawei with several counts of fraud.
February:
The Trump administration confirms that the U.S. will leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 because of Russian non-compliance. Russia also leaves the treaty.
The Freedom House downgrades the governments of Hungary and Serbia to partly free instead of free.
Venezuelan President Maduro severs diplomatic ties with Colombia after Colombia attempts to send humanitarian aid across the border to Venezuelans.
The 2019 Northern Korea- U.S. summit takes place in Hanoi, Vietnam.
March:
A second case of sustained remission from HIV is reported.
Cyclone Idai makes landfall in Mozambique killing at least 1,073 people and causing massive flooding and power outages.
In the deadliest terrorist attack in New Zealand’s history, 51 people are killed and 50 more are injured in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.
Europe’s antitrust regulators fine Google $1.7 billion (in U.S. dollars) for unfair competitive practices in the online advertising business.
April:
The Second Liyan Civil War begins.
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is arrested after seven years in Ecuador’s embassy in London.
A major fire engulfs Notre dame Cathedral in Paris, France during Holy Week collapsing the roof and main spire.
Islamic terrorists bomb eight locations in Sri Lanka on easter Sunday killing 259 people and injuring over 500.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is elected the President of Ukraine in a landslide victory.
North Korean leader Kim Jung Un visits Russia to attend a summit with President Putin.
In Venezuela, Juan Guaidó leads an attempted uprising against President Maduro.
May
Putin signs the “foreign internet” bill into law allowing the Russian government to better monitor internet traffic and steer it away from foreign servers.
The Kivi Ebola epidemic worsens.
The Gaza-Israel conflict escalates.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services warns that biodiversity loss is accelerating and now over a million species are threatened with extinction largely because of human actions.
U.S. tariffs of 25% on Chinese goods threaten to create a U.S.-China trade war.
Tensions in the Gulf of Oman increase because of the deployment of U.S. Military forces to the Persian Gulf.
Swedish prosecutors reopen a rape allegation investigation against Julian Assange and indicate they will seek extradition after Assange completes his 50-week prison sentence for skipping bail.
Taiwan’s Parliament becomes the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
China-U.S. trade war escalates.
In India’s general election, Narendra Modi wins a landslide victory, and his party secures 303 of the 543 seats in parliament.
British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns.
Prison riots in Venezuela and Brazil.
June:
Over 100 people are killed when Sudanese troops and Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a protest camp in Khartoum, Sudan.
Voters in San Marino vote to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a state visit to Russia.
Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality.
The Supreme Court of Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage.
Two oil tankers are attacked in the Strait of Hormuz amid escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
A large-scale power outage affects 50 million people in South America.
The U.S. sends an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East.
Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a state visit to North Korea.
Iranians shoot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump visits South Korea and North Korea.
July:
July 2019 becomes the hottest month on record reinforcing warnings about the threats posed by global warming.
Japan resumes commercial whaling.
The International atomic Energy Agency confirms that Iran has breached the limits placed on its stockpile of enriched uranium.
Ursula von der Leyen wins election to become the first female president of the EU.
Juan “El Chapo” Guzman former head of the Sinaloa Cartel is sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.
The W.H.O. declares the Kivu Ebola epidemic a public health emergency.
Boris Johnson defeats Jeremy Hunt to become Prime Minister of the U.K.
August:
A large spike in Greenland ice loss fuels concerns about global warming.
Japan and South Korea enter a trade dispute.
Protests in Hong Kong escalate.
A nuclear explosion in Russia at the Nyonoska weapons testing plant kills five and injures three as radiation emission levels temporarily spike to 20 times higher than normal.
Typhoon Lekima makes landfall in China after causing flooding in the Philippines. In China, 32 are killed and one million people must be evacuated.
Monsoons cause flooding and deaths in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
The Trump administration walks back tariffs on several Chinese goods after meeting with Xi Jinping.
The Dow Jones plunges more than 500 points.
Okjökull glacier in Iceland which once covered 15.5 km² (6 sq. mi.) has completely melted. Activists and Iceland officials hold a funeral to raise awareness about global warming.
Protests over perceived racial and ethnic discrimination spread across Indonesian Papua.
Record reports of more than 36,000 fires in The Amazon rainforest. German President Angela Merkel and French President Macron describe the wildfires as an international emergency which needs to be addressed at the upcoming G7 Summit.
Lebanese officials report two Israeli drones were spotted at the Hezbollah Community Center in Beirut before one crashed on the roof and the other exploded causing damage to the building.
September:
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission threatens to fine YouTube and Google for collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 for the purposes of regulating targeting advertisements to this group.
Trump announces he’s called off planned peace talks with members of the Taliban at Camp David after they claimed responsibility for the September 2 and 5 bombings in Kabul which killed an American soldier and wounded several others. Many U.S. officials were vehemently opposed to his plans to invite terrorists to Camp David.
Houthi militants claim responsibility for the drone attacks which damaged two oil refineries in Saudi Arabia and disrupted Aramco’s oil exports by 5 million barrels per day almost half of their daily production.
A gas explosion in Russia sets off a fire in a bioweapons plant that houses viruses including smallpox, Ebola, and anthrax.
U.S. interest rates on repurchase agreements unexpectedly spike.
Six million people participate in an international strike and protest to demand action about climate change e before the start of the UN Climate summit.
The Trump administration approves deployment of several hundred U.S. troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE after the attacks on the Saudi oil refineries.
The Bahamas are plagued by damages from Hurricane Dorian.
Russia formally adopts the Paris climate agreement.
U.S, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announces the start of a formal impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.
500,000 people join climate activist Greta Thunberg and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, Canada to protest climate change.
Ireland promises to plant 440 million trees in twenty years to combat climate change.
October:
European Commission spokesperson Damiel Rosario threatens retaliatory measures if the Trump administration imposes proposed tariffs on products such as olives, whiskey, wine, yogurt, cheese, and airplanes.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Human Rights Office issue a report stating the U.S. bombings in Nimroz and Farah Province, Afghanistan that killed 39 civilians are unlawful. The U.S. claims the attacks were against drug labs that fund the Taliban.
A New York Times investigation reveals that Russian planes bombed at least 50 hospitals in opposition-held Idlib, Syria.
Venezuelan councilman and opposition politician Edmundo Rada is reported missing the day before his body is found by the side of the road in Petare, Caracas, shot twice in the back of the neck and burned.
Violence breaks out in Mexico after Ovidio Guzmán López the son of El Chappo is arrested on charges of drug dealing in the U.S. Eight people are killed and 56 prisoners escape from prison. Seven are recaptured the next day and Guzmán López is released in an attempt to restore peace to the area.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch conduct the first all-female spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.
Riots over proposed economic measures and government declarations by the Chilean government break out in the capitol city of Santiago.
The Trump administration announces that the leader of the Islamic State of Iran and the Levant, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died during a U.S. special forces operation; al-Baghdadi reportedly detonated a suicide vest after being chased into a tunnel.
Heavy rain and flooding leaves three dead and 200,000 homeless in Somalia. In nearby Kenya, 29 have died and 29,000 are homeless because of flooding.
November:
Nine Americans are killed while driving to a wedding after Mexican gang members open fire on their vehicles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Amnesty International accuses Bangladesh of killing 466 people in 2018 in a wave of extrajudicial executions under the guise of an anti-drug campaign.
Eleven thousand scientists from around the world publish a study confirming that the planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.
Former Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntganda receives the longest sentence ever handed down by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity – 30 years in prison.
Two million people in West Bengal and Bangladesh must be evacuated during Cyclone Bubul. Seven people in each country are killed by the cyclone.
Public impeachment hearings against Donald trump begin.
A mass shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California results in three deaths (including the gunman) and three injuries.
Italy declares a state of emergency in Venice because of flooding.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
The last known Sumatran Rhinoceros dies in Malaysia.
The world Meteorological Organization reports record high levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Fifty-one people are killed and 2,000 injured during an earthquake in in northwestern Albania.
The U.S. Government passes the Hong Kong Human Rights and democracy Act.
December:
The first known human case of Coronavirus disease in 2019 occurs in Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Typhoon Kammuri hits the Philippines causing 200,000 people to be evacuated, but there are no reports of deaths, injuries, or serious damage.
The 2019 Burundi landslide cause 29 deaths.
A factory fire in Delhi, India kills 43 people and injures 50 others.
The world anti-Doping Agency votes unanimously to ban Russia from competing in international sports for four years for doping offenses.
A volcano erupts on White Island in New Zealand killing 22 and injuring 25 others.
Sanna Mann (34) becomes the world’s youngest serving prime minister after being selected to lead Finland’s Social Democratic Party.
Formal charges against Donald Trump include abuse of power and obstructing Congress.
The World trade Organization is unable to intervene in trade disputes after the U.S. blocks the appointment of new panel members.
Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party win a landslide victory in the U.K.
Pope Francis abolishes pontifical secrecy pertaining to sex abuse cases and raises the definition of Child pornography for 14 to 18 years old.
A locust plague in Ethiopia and Somalia devastates 173,000 acres of crop and grazing land.
The U.S. founds the U.S. Space Force, a branch of the Armed Forces dedicated to space warfare.
Five men are sentenced to death and another three receive 24-year prison terms for their roles in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Thousands of Muslims protest the burning of four mosques in Ethiopia.
The militant group al-Shabaab is reportedly responsible for a truck bomb that kills 78 and wounds 125 in Somalia.
The Taliban’s ruling court agrees to a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan in anticipation of a peace agreement with the U.S.
Chinese authorities announce that He Jiankui the scientist who claimed to have created the world’s first genetically edited human babies has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 3 million yuan ($430,000 U.S. dollars) for his illegal genetic research.
Iraqi militiamen and protestors breach the front gate checkpoint of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
First official reports of the coronavirus (viral pneumonia) are released from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.
2020
January:
Flash floods in Jakarta, Indonesia kill 66 people.
Australia deploys the Royal Australian Air Force and Navy to assist mass evacuation efforts in New South Wales and Victoria during the Australian bushfire season.
A U.S. drone strike to kill an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport also kills 8 others.
Iran launches ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. soldiers and injures over 100 personnel.
Chinese authorities confirm human to human transmission of sever acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou is elected president of Greece.
The Chinese city of Wuhan is quarantined because of the coronavirus epidemic.
U.S. basketball great Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others die in a helicopter crash.
Donald Trump signs the U.S.-Mexico-Canada, a North American trade agreement his administration wants to use to replace NAFTA.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O) declares the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. The Trump administration downplays the severity of the coronavirus and the possibility of an epidemic or pandemic.
The U.K. and Gibraltar formally withdraw from the Eu starting and 11 moth transition period.
February:
The W.H.O. names the disease COVID-19.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges by 1,190.95 points its largest one-day decline at the time. The decline continues through the week and becomes the worst week for the index since the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
The Trump administration signs a conditional peace agreement with the Taliban and begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in March.
March:
The International Criminal Court begins investigating alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
Italy becomes the first court to begin a national quarantine because of COVID-19.
The Dow Jones plunges 2,000 points. Global stock markets crash in response to the pandemic.
Nepal closes Mount Everest to the public and cancels all scheduled climbing expeditions because of the pandemic.
The U.S. Federal Reserve cuts its target interest rate.
The EU closes its external and Schengen borders in an effort to stop or limit the spread of COVID-19.
Professional sports teams around the world begin suspending, postponing or canceling their seasons because of the pandemic.
The W.H.O sponsors a clinical trial dedicated to finding a treatment/cure for COVID-19.
Worldwide cases of COVID -19 reaches 250,000 with over 10,000 deaths.
India and the U.K. go into lockdown. One third of the world’s population is now facing some form of movement related restrictions to try to slow/stop the spread of the virus.
The Chinese Premier announces domestic cases of COVID-19 are now under control. Two days later China temporarily suspends entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits.
Global cases of COVID-19 reach 500,000 (doubling in six days) and the death toll climbs to 23,000.
The U.S. surpasses China and Italy in the total number of confirmed cases of COVID with at least 81, 321 cases and over 1,000 deaths.
Militants in the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, and Libya agree to UN calls for ceasefires during the pandemic. Colombia and Venezuela discuss a common response for the pandemic, and the UAE airlifts aid to Iran.
Russia and Saudi Arabia begin a price war for crude oil as demand drops during the pandemic. They eventually cut back production in an effort to keep prices from falling too low.
April:
Yemen releases more than 470 prisoners over concerns of the spread of COVID. The UN calls for the release of all political prisoners to alleviate over-crowding in prisons to help prevent the spread of COVID.
The number of COVID cases worldwide exceeds one million (doubling in a one-week period).
The U.S. designates the Russian Imperial Movement as a terrorist organization and imposes sanctions on its leaders. It’s the first white supremacist group designated as a terrorist organization in U.S. history.
Japan declares a state of emergency in response to the pandemic and finalizes a 108 trillion-yen stimulus.
New cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are identified in addition to the pandemic.
The global death toll from the pandemic now exceeds 100,000.
EU finance ministers agree on a loan package to alleviate the economic fallout from the pandemic.
OPEC and their allies cut oil production.
The International Monetary Fund estimates the world economy will shrink by 3% the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The Trump administration announces it will suspend funding for the W.H.O. pending an investigation into its handling of the pandemic and its relationship to China.
On April 15, the number of COVID cases worldwide exceeds two million.
China revises the Coronavirus death toll numbers in Wuhan upward to 4.632.
Europe surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 related deaths.
Unrest related to opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns escalates in Paris, Berlin, and Vladikavkaz.
Oil prices reach a record low on April 20.
Two former members of the Syrian Army go on trial for war crimes.
Facebooks begins removing pseudoscience and conspiracy theory as options for targeted ads to help address criticism of the media’s part in spreading misinformation and promoting potentially harmful treatments during the pandemic.
April 25 worldwide death tolls exceed 200,000, and 3 million cases are confirmed worldwide. In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases reaches one million.
May:
The total number of recovered COVID-19 patients worldwide reaches one million.
The UN declares that Russia’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Syria is a war crime.
Attempts to forcibly remove Venezuelan President Maduro are unsuccessful.
A team of British and Kenyan scientists find a parasitic microbe that blocks mosquitos from carrying malaria potentially making it possible to control or eliminate transmission of the disease.
Astronoers announce the discovery of the first black hole in space visible to the naked eye.
Gunmen storm a maternity hospital in Dashte Barchi, Afghanistan and kill 24 people including two newborns. In a separate incident, a suicide bomber kills 32 people at a funeral in Kuz Kunar.
Global pandemic deaths exceed 300,000 on May 14.
The UN warns of a potential global mental health crisis from isolation, fear, uncertainty, and economic stress.
Félicien Kabuga, a Rwandan businessman who supported the Rwandan genocide, has been arrested after 26 years as a fugitive.
Flash floods in Somalia kill at least 24 people and displace close to one million.
In response to Israel’s plans to annex the Jordan Valley, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas terminates all agreements with Israel and the U.S.
Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh killing over 100 people and forcing the evacuation of 4 million. Damage estimates total over $13 billion in U.S. dollars.
The Trump administration announces it will withdraw the U.S. from the Open Skies Treaty within six months citing claims that Russia is not in compliance with the terms of the treaty.
On May 21, the number of confirmed COVID cases reaches 5 million worldwide with 106,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.
Brazil surpasses Russia to become the country with the second most cases of COVID-19 with over 330,00 reported cases. Despite this information Brazilian president Bolsonaro continues to dismiss the severity of the virus and the pandemic.
Protests over the murder of George Floyd and police brutality begin in hundreds of American cities and around the world.
Costa Rica legalizes and recognizes same-sex marriage.
The U.S. death toll from COVID surpasses 100,000. That’s more than all Americans killed in the Korean war and the Vietnam War combined. The total umber of cases is still rising, but at a slower rate.
June:
A $5 billion class action suit against Alphabet Inc. and Google alleges the company violate user’s rights to privacy by tracking them in Chrome’s incognito mode.
Russian President Putin declares a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of oil leak into the Ambarnaya River.
On June 7, the global death toll from COVID-9 exceeds 400,000. The next day, the number of conformed global cases of COVID passes 7 million.
A Harvard University study concludes that COVID-19 may have been spreading in China as early as August 2019 based on hospital car park usage and web search trends.
On June 16, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 8 million.
On June 22, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 9 million.
On June 28, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 10 million. In the U.S. that figure exceeds 2.5 million roughly 25% of all cases worldwide. The global death toll exceeds 500,000.
July:
The Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities, and CEOs are hacked to promote a cryptocurrency scam.
North Korean leader Kim Jung Un orders a lockdown of his country following what he claims is the country’s first case of COVID-19 allegedly a person who visited South Korea and was exposed to the virus there.
On July 22, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 15 million.
August:
On August 10, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 20 million.
Russian President Putin announces that Russia has developed and approved the world’s first COVID vaccine.
Israel and the UAE agree to normalize relations.
On August 22, the worldwide death toll from the pandemic exceeds 800,000.
Africa is declared free of wild polio because of vaccines.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the first man to have a net worth over $200 billion U.S. dollars according to Forbes magazine.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resins because of ill health.
On August 30, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 exceeds 25 million.
September:
A UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission accuses the Venezuelan government of crimes against humanity occurring as far back as 2014. President Maduro and other government officials are implicated.
Hurricane sally makes landfall in Alabama killing 8 people and causing over $8 billion in damages.
On September 30, the worldwide death toll from COVID -19 exceeds one million.
October:
On October 5, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 35 million.
On October 19, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 40 million.
After an 11-year demining process, the Falkland Islands are declared free of land mines, 38 years after the 1982 war.
On October 30, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 45 million.
November:
Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Trump alleges voter fraud and refuses to concede losing multiple court cases because there is no evidence of voter fraud.
On November 8, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 50 million.
Pfizer and BioNTech complete the first successful phase II trials for their vaccine which is 90% effective according to interim reports.
On November 11, interim reports suggest the Sputnik V vaccine for COVOD-19 is 92% effective.
The Moderna vaccine (developed with funding by country music star Dolly Parton) is proven to be 94.5% effective against the virus. The Moderna vaccine does not require cold storage making it easier to distribute and administer.
On November 17, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 55 million.
On November 18, Pfizer and BioNTech complete trials on their COCID vaccine and achieve a 95% rate of effectiveness against the virus.
On November 23, Astra Zeneca’s AZD1222 vaccine developed in collaboration with Oxford University is shown to be 70% effective with the first dose and 90% effective if given initially as a half dose and followed up by a second full dose in one month.
On November 25, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 60 million.
Iran’s top nuclear scientist is assassinated.
Boko Haram terrorists attack a village in Nigeria killing 110 and wounding 6.
Moderna files for an Emergency Use Permit in the U.S. after achieving a 94.1% effectiveness rate with no safety concerns. It also plans to file one in the EU.
December:
Pfizer and BioNTech file for an Emergency Use Permit application to the European Medicines Agency. They are approved by the U.K. which becomes the first country in the world to do so.
On December 4, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 65 million, and the death toll exceeds 1.6 million.
The U.S. announces it will withdraw from the conflict in Somalia over the next month.
On December 5, Russia begins mass vaccination against COVID-19 using the Sputnik V vaccine.
On December 8, the U.K. begins mass vaccination against COVID-19 using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. A 90-year-old woman becomes the first person to receive the vaccine.
On December 10, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. Argentina selects the Sputnik V vaccine.
The Nicolas Sarkozy corruption trial concludes in France.
The EU agrees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% over the next 10 years.
On December 12, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 70 million.
On December 14, the U.S. and Canada begin mass vaccinations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Singapore approves the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The U.S. removes Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The U.S. sanctions Türkiye for purchasing a S-400 missile system from Russia. The first time the U.S. has sanctioned a NATO ally
On December 18, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 75 million.
The U.S. approves the Moderna vaccine for emergency use.
On December 20, a highly infectious new strain of SARS-CoV-2 spreads in Europe and Australia causing international border closures.
On December 27, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 80 million.
The U.K. approves the AstraZeneca -Oxford vaccine for emergency use.
The transition period for the U.K.’s exit from the EU ends.
2021
January:
The border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia reopens.
On January 6, supporters of Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the peaceful transfer of power by preventing the certification of the 2020 election following his invitations to come to Washington and “stop the steal.” Trump speaks to the assembled crowd and encourages them to go to the Capitol Building and fight to take back their country. One hundred-seventy-four Capitol police officers are injured, and five people die. Congress is forced to evacuate, insurrectionists breach the Capitol building with weapons, steal items from Congressional offices, as well as urinating and defecating on the walls and floors. They build gallows outside and threaten to hang Vice President Mike Pence for carrying out his sworn duties as Vice President of the United States, and also threaten to hang Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. After watching the melee on television at the White House for several hours and denying frantic requests from members of Congress and his own administration to intervene, Trump finally tells his supporters to stand down. Several hours later Congress reconvenes, and Vice President Pence certifies the 2020 election results. The attack on the Capitol is classified as domestic terrorism.
In Lyon, France the first transplant of both arms and shoulders is performed.
On January 20, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in as U.S. President and Vice President. Biden becomes the oldest person to be sworn in as a U.S. President and Harris becomes the first woman and the first person of Black and Asian heritage to become a U.S. VP. Donald Trump refuses to attend the inauguration. Trump leaves office taking thousands of classified documents with him to his Florida country club, Mar A Lago where he leaves them in unsecured areas.
On January 26, the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 100 million.
A near total abortion ban takes effect in Poland.
February:
On February 1, the number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered around the world exceeds 100 million.
President Biden announces that the U.S. will stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for use in the Yemeni Civil War.
A major snowstorm in the U.S. kills at least 136 people and causes 9.9 million power outages.
The U.S. officially rejoins the Paris Agreement.
Seven people at a poultry farm in Russia test positive for H5N8 bird flu. Becoming the first known human cases.
The COVAX vaccine sharing initiative delivers its first vaccine, 600,000 doses for healthcare workers in Ghana.
March:
A large cargo ship runs aground blocking the Suez Canal for several days, disrupting global trade and the global supply chain.
On March 25, the number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds 500 million.
April:
Russia warns NATO not to send troops to aid Ukraine after reports of a large build-up of Russian Forces at the Russia-Ukraine border.
Cyclone Seroja kills more than 270 people in Indonesia.
Iran accuses Israel of nuclear terrorism.
On April 17, the global death toll from COVID-19 reaches 3 million.
Raúl Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party ending over 62 years of rule by the Castro brothers in Cuba.
Idriss Déby, the President of Chad, is killed during clashes with rebel forces after 30 years in office.
On April 24, the number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds one billion. Half of these doses (500 million) have been given in three countries, the U.S., India, and China.
May:
Israel hits the Gaza Strip with airstrikes as Hamas increases rocket fire. This action comes as a result of territorial disputes in East Jerusalem.
An Israeli airstrike destroys a high-rise building in the Gaza Strip occupied by media sources - the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and others. The death toll from the current dispute climbs to 250 before Israel agrees to a cease-fire. With Gaza militants on May 21.
In the Netherlands, the court rules that Shell Corporation must align its carbon emissions with the Paris Climate Accord. It’s the first ever ruling legally mandating a corporation to comply with the Paris Climate Accord.
June:
Isaac Herzog wins the 2021 presidential election in Israel.
The G7 agrees on a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% to help prevent tax avoidance by some of the world’s largest multinational corporations.
El Salvador passes legislation to allow Bitcoin as legal tender in their country alongside the U.S. dollar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is voted out of office.
A section of the Champlain South Towers condominium building collapses killing 98 people.
On June 25, Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin is convicted of the murder of George Floyd and sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison.
On June 29, the number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds three billion.
July:
Wildfires caused by lightning strikes during a severe heat wave in North America burn through Western Canada resulting in 600 deaths and causing extensive damage to property, lands, and wildlife habitats and populations.
The global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic exceeds 4 million.
Thousands of Cubans protest increased food and medicine shortages in Cuba caused by the Pandemic.
Areas of Europe experience heavy rains and flooding attributed to a slowed Jetstream caused by climate change.
An international investigation reveals spyware sold by Israel’s NSO group is being used to target heads of state and thousands of activists, journalist, and dissidents around the world.
Blue Origin successfully makes its first human test flight with a reusable New Shepard rocket.
An oil tanker is attacked off the coast of Oman.
August:
An oil tanker is hijacked off the coast of the UAE.
Wildfires in Greece.
On August 4, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide exceeds 200 million.
On August 26, at least 182 people are killed including 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing attack at Kabul Airport.
On August 27, an unsuccessful retaliatory airstrike by the U.S. kills 10 civilians.
Hurricane Ida strikes New Orleans, Louisiana after causing devastation in Venezuela.
Leaded petrol in road vehicles has been phased out globally after 100 years of use.
The U.S. withdraws its last remaining troops from Kabal ending 20 years of operations in Afghanistan in compliance with terms and timelines agreed upon by Donald Trump’s administration at the end of 2020.
September:
In a show of power, North Korea completes “test launches” for two short-range missiles that land just outside Japanese territorial waters. In response, South Korea launches a ”test” of its first submarine-launched ballistic missile.
The U.S., U.K., and Australia form AUKUS, a trilateral security pact to counter the influence of China enabling Australia to build its first nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
October:
The W.H.O. endorses the first malaria vaccine.
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is the first to explore the Trojan asteroids.
November:
On November 1, the number of recorded deaths from COVID-19 exceeds five million.
A crowd crush at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas kills 10 and injures more than 300.
Russia tests of an anti-satellite weapon create a cloud of space debris that threatens the safety of the International Space Station angering the international scientific community and several countries.
NASA launches DART, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the first attempt at learning how to protect Earth by deflecting asteroids.
The W.H.O meets to discuss the Omicron variant of the coronavirus which may be more infectious than Delta.
Barbados becomes a republic, but remains a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
December:
A late-season tornado outbreak across the south and Midwestern U.S. causes major damage and kills 94 people.
Typhoon Rai hits the Philippines causing major damage, destruction of property, deaths, and injuries.
NASA, the Canadian Space agency, and the Space Telescope Science Institute launch the James Webb Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
2022
January:
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership becomes the largest free trade area in the world.
On January, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide exceeds 300 million.
In Baltimore, Maryland, surgeons perform the first successful transplant of a pig heart into a human patient.
A terrorist attack by Houthi rebels destroys three oil tanker trucks and their contents in the UAE.
On January 28, the number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds ten billion.
February:
Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi is killed during a counter-terrorism raid by U.S. forces in Syria.
China and Russia issue a joint statement opposing the expansion of NATO and expressing concerns about the AUKUS security pact vowing to cooperate with each other on a range of issues.
Cyclone Batsirai kills 123 people in Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion.
On February 21-24, Russian President Putin declares Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic independent from Ukraine. Russia invades Ukraine despite international condemnation of actions. In response, te EU, U.S., and their allies, commit to removing Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, impose measure on the Russian Central Bank, and further restrictions on Russian elites. These and other sanctions create a financial crisis in Russia.
European nations ban Russian flights in their airspace.
Belarus revokes its non-nuclear status and vows to allow the country to permanently host Russian forces.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine stall.
Switzerland, South Korea, Monaco, and Singapore impose unilateral sanctions on Russia including export controls and asset freezes.
March:
World Athletics bans Russia and Belarus from competing in any of its events,
UN member states condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and call for the withdraw of Russian troops immediately.
Russia captures Kherson. Over a million refugees flee Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court begins investigating Russia for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
On March 7, the global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 6 million.
The U.S. and U.K. announce a ban on Russian oil. The EU announces a two-thirds reduction of oil purchases from Russia.
A Russian airstrike in Mariupol destroys a hospital including its maternity ward and pediatric unit. Days later another airstrike destroys the Mariupol Theatre where over 600 civilians were sheltering.
NATO announce the deployment of four additional battlegroups (40,000 troops) in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia along with enhanced readiness for possible chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is admitted to the East African Community.
April:
Russian forces retreat from areas near Kyiv.
The UN votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.
Global food prices increase to their highest level amid supply chain crises, conflicts in the Middle east and Africa, and the war in Ukraine, one of the top producers of wheat in the world.
On April 13, the number of conformed cases of COVID-19 worldwide exceeds 500 million.
Ukraine claims responsibility for sinking the Russian flagship Moskva while Russia maintains it sank because of stormy weather conditions.
Several thousand military personnel and civilian are killed in the battle of Donbas in Eastern Ukraine.
Elon Musk buys Twitter to rebrand it as X and encourage ultraconservative MAGA viewpoints.
Russia halts gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria in an attempt to coerce their support.
May:
The U.K. reports the first known case of the monkeypox virus. The W.H.O. holds an emergency meeting after the virus quickly spreads to a dozen countries.
Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO.
An 18-year-old gunman kills 19 students and two teachers and injures 17 others at Robb Hollow Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Law enforcement officers fail to attempt to engage with the shooter for over an hour despite being on the scene quickly. Concerned parents begged officers outside the school to do something to stop the shooter. Finally, members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit breached the classroom he was in and shot him.
June:
Fifty people are killed in a dual mass shooting-bomb attack in Nigeria.
Canada and Denmark end their dispute over Hans Island by agreeing to divide it equally.
An earthquake between the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan kills at least 1,163 people.
The European Council grants Moldova and Ukraine candidate status for membership acceptance in the EU.
G7 leaders announce a ban on imports of Russian gold.
July:
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is assassinated while giving a speech in Nara, Japan.
Heat waves and record temperatures in Europe are responsible for at least 53,000 deaths, wildfires, and travel disruptions .
The European Central Bank raises its key interest rate for the first time in 11 years.
The UN and Türkiye broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine to facilitate the shipments of grain exports to help alleviate a potential world food shortage and reduce soaring food prices.
The W.H.O. declares monkey pox a public health crisis of international concern as the number of cases exceeds 17,000 in 75 nations.
August:
China conducts large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in a show of force after U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.
Israel kills Islamic Jihad military leader Tayseer Jabari during airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Indian-born British American novelist Salmond Rushdie is stabbed multiple times by an assailant who stormed the stage during a public lecture in New York.
Floods in Pakistan kill at least 1,000 people.
September:
UN reports state conditions in Xinjiang camps and treatment of Uyghurs constitute crimes against humanity by China.
G7 economies agree to a price cap on Russian oil exports.
An earthquake in China kills 117 and injures 424.
Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. dies at 96. Her son Charles becomes king.
Putin threatens nuclear retaliation after recent heavy battle losses in Ukraine.
Hurricane Ian damages parts of the United States and Cuba leaving millions without power.
Russia officials insist multiple areas in Ukraine welcome annexation by Russia. Putin signs multiple treaties annexing what he claims are multiples areas belonging to Russia breaching several international laws.
November:
Ukrainian forces recapture Kherson.
The world population reaches 8 billion on November 15.
Open AI release ChatGPT, an artificial chatbot capable of answering questions and writing essays.
December:
The G7 and Australia join the EU in imposing a $60 a barrel cap on Russian crude oil to prevent Russia from profiting from its invasion of Ukraine.
The National Ignition Facility achieve nuclear fusion ignition, considered a milestone in the development of nuclear fusion power.
A major winter storm hits Canada, and the Northern U.S. disrupts North American air travel and kills at least 91 people.
2023
January:
At least 18 people are killed and over 100 injured in Juliaca, Peru, when the Peruvian National Police open fire on demonstrators.
A cold snap in Afghanistan kills 166 people and nearly 80,000 livestock.
Widespread unrest in Israel after the Israeli military raid in Jenin kills nine Pakestinians. Palestinians retaliate with incendiary air balloons in heavily populated Israeli areas. Israel retaliates to that with targeted airstrikes. Seven Jewish citizens are killed in a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Neve Yaakov.
A Jamaat-ul-Ahrar suicide bombing inside a mosque in Pakistan 84 people and injures over 220 others.
February:
The European Central bank and the Bank of England raise their interest rates by 0.5 percentage points in response to rising inflation the day after the U.S. Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25 percentage points.
The U.S. tracks alleged Chines spy balloons floating over areas inside its borders before shooting them down.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous material derails in East Palestine, Ohio near the Pennsylvania border. Multiple train cars burn for several days as toxic gases are released into the atmosphere.
Cyclone Freddy forms in the Indian Ocean later causing 1.400 deaths, countless injuries, and devastating property damage across Southeastern Africa.
Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria kill 59,00 and injure more than 121,000.
Putin suspends Russia’s participation in New Start, a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the U.S.
March:
Allied Democratic Forces jihadist insurgents kill 35 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with machetes.
Silicon Valley Bank the 16th largest Bank in the U.S. fails affecting companies around the world.
The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Vladimir Potin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics bans transwomen who have gone through male puberty from competing in women’s sports.
A tornado outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama kills 26 and injures 165 others.
Large scale protests break out in Israel after PM Netanyahu fires his defense minister for criticizing the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
The International Court of Justice rues that the U.S. violated its Treaty of Amity with Iran when it allowed its domestic courts to freeze assets held by Iranian companies.
An outbreak of 147 tornados in the U.S. causes 33 deaths, injures 218 others and causes $5.4 billion in damages.
April:
Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO.
U.S. Pentagon documents detailing foreign military aid to Ukraine are leaked to the internet.
Nuclear power in Germany ends after 50 years.
At least 90 people die and 322 are injured in a crowd crush during a Ramadan charity event in Yemen.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket explodes four minutes after its test launch in Texas.
After a mass cult suicide, 429 followers of the Good News International Ministries are found in shallow graves in a Kenyan forest. Over 613 people are still missing.
May:
San Franciso-based First Republic Bank fails and is bought by J.P. Morgan- Chase.
In response to a school shooting in Serbia and a second mass murder the next day that leave 19 people dead, the government increases regulations on gun ownership despite mass anti-government protests.
The W.H.O. downgrades COVID-19 from a global health emergency, but still classifies it as a pandemic.
Charles III and his wife Camilla are coronated King and Queen of the U.K.
Syria is readmitted to the Arab League.
The W.H.O. no longer considers monkey pox a world health emergency.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy addresses the G7 Summit in Japan.
June:
Smoke from wildfires in Canada affects the air quality in several U.S. cities including New York City.
Scientists report the first creation of a synthetic human embryo from stem cells without the need of sperm or egg cells.
All five crew members of the Titan, a deep-sea submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic are killed after the vessel implodes.
The UN General Assembly adopts the High Seas Treaty to improve marine conservation in international waters.
July:
Israel sends ground forces and armed drone into the Jenin Refugee Camp killing 13 and injuring more than 100. Hamas retaliates with an attack in Tel Aviv that injures 9.
New Zealand signs a free-trade agreement with the EU.
SAG-AFTRA goes on strike to protest low compensation, ownership of work, and generative AI.
Typhoon Doksuri kills 137 people in Southeast Asia.
Wildfires in Greece cause mass evacuations of tourists and residents in Rhodes, Greece.
A suicide bombing kills 63 and injures over 200 in Pakistan.
August:
July 2023 is the hottest month on record globally, and the world’s ocean temperatures reach a new record high in August 2023.
Wildfires in Hawaii destroy 17,000 acres of land and kill at least 101 people.
The U.S. Japan, and South Korea sign a trilateral pact.
Saudi Arabia is accused of killing hundreds of African refugees attempting to enter the country by crossing the Yemeni border.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin , founder Dmitry Utkin, and 8 others are killed when their plane crashes in Russia.
September:
The European Central Bank raises eurozone interest rates to 4%, an all-time high.
October:
Republican U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is replaced by Mike Johnson, a fundamental Christian Conservative.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange company FTX goes on trial and is convicted of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. He’s sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Hamas makes an incursion into Israel killing more than 1,100 Israelis and taking 240 hostages. The brutal unprovoked attack on civilians shocks the international community and starts the Israel-Hamas War.
Earthquakes in Afghanistan kill over 1,000 people and injure over 2,000 more.
Hurricane Otis makes landfall in Mexico killing 80 people.
November:
The death toll in Gaza reportedly exceeds 10,000. The UN Secretary General calls for a cease-fire to allow for humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
U.S. surgeons at NYU Langone Health announce the first whole eye transplant.
Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day cease-fire to exchange prisoners and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
December:
Attacks by Houthi rebels disrupt shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
The deadliest mass shooting in the history of the Czech Republic leaves 15 dead and 25 wounded at Prague University.
The death toll in Gaza exceeds 20,000.
Russia launches drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities.
South Africa accuses Israel with genocide in front of the International Court of Justice.
2024
January:
An earthquake in Japan kills 462 and injures 1,344.
A U.S. led coalition begins airstrikes against Houthi militant locations in Yemen in retaliation for attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
Japan becomes the fifth country to make a soft landing on the moon.
A Russian military transport allegedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners crashes killing everyone aboard.
The UN International Court of Justice rues that Israel must take all necessary measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, but stops short of ordering a halt to Israeli operations in Gaza.
February:
The U.S, launches airstrikes on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in response to a deadly drone attack on a U.S. military base.
Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies under mysterious circumstances at 47 years old.
Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces open fire on a crowd civilians in Gaza killing more than 100 people as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 30,000.
March:
Sweden officially joins NATO.
The EU passes the Artificial Intelligence Act, the first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for AI.
The UN estimates that at least 56% of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza were women and children.
Islamic State affiliated gunman kill 145 concertgoers and injure 551 during a concert at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Russia.
The UN Security Council passes a resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
A container ship collides with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland killing six people who were working on a bridge maintenance crew and causing a total collapse of the bridge.
Bulgaria and Romania become members of the Schengen Area through air and sea routes.
April:
Israel attacks the Iranian embassy in Damascus killing 16 people. Iran launches retaliatory strikes against Israel. Israel retaliates.
Floods in the Persian Gulf kill at least 32 people.
The G7 countries agree to phase out unabated coal power by 2030-2035.
May:
The UN General Assembly votes to allow the State of Palestine the right to be seated among member states alphabetically at the next UN General Assembly in September.
The chief prosecutor of the international Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes.
The IJC, the UN’s highest court rules that Israel must halt its military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.
A major landslide in Papua, New Guinea kills 160 and injures over 2,000 people. Many more people/bodies are still buried in the mud.
Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognize the State of Palestine.
Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
June:
The UN determines that both Hamas and Israel committed war crimes during the October 7, 2023, attacks and resulting conflicts.
More than 1,100 people die because of extreme heat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is freed in a U.S. plea deal after serving time in the U.K. Assange returns to his native Australia.
Donald Trump tries to distance his campaign from Project 2025, the Republican playbook designed by the Heritage Foundation for winning the 2024 election and reshaping the U.S. government.
July:
The 33rd NATO summit is held in Washington, D.C.
While campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump is nicked in the ear by a bullet as a gunman fires into the crowd killing one man and seriously injuring two others. Secret Service snipers kill the shooter. They find explosives strapped to the gunman’s body, in his car, and at his home. The weapon used by the assailant is an AR-15 assault rifle typically used in mass shootings. He is a registered Republican who was following the campaign schedules of both Trump and Biden.
U.S. President Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign amid questions about his age and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential candidate.
Kamala Harris selects Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Their campaign is upbeat and positive.
Landslides in Ethiopia kill 257 people and completely bury two villages.
China brokers a unity agreement between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas to form a single government.
Landslides in India kill 334 and injure over 200.
Israel kills Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr during an airstrike of a Beirut suburb.
The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated at his residence in Tehran. Iran.
Former military ruler of Guinea, Moussa Dadis Camara, is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Guinea court.
August:
The U.S. and Russia exchange 26 prisoners in the largest prisoner exchange between the two world powers since the Cold War.
The W.H.O. declare monkey pox a public health emergency of international concern for the second time in two years as new outbreaks continue to spread in African countries.
Israeli Defense Forces begin preemptive strikes against targets in Lebanon.
September:
Ryan Wesley Roth is found with a gun at a Florida golf course where Donald Trump is playing. He faces charges of attempted assassination.
Thirty-two people are killed and more than 3,200 are injured after pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah militants and medics explode in two massive cyberattacks.
Israel assassinates Hezbollah leader Ibrahim Aqil and 10 other senior leaders in Beirut.
In the deadliest day of the Hezbollah-Israeli Conflict since 2006, 569 people are killed and 1,835 are wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.
Hurricane Helene makes landfall in Florida and kills 236 and leaves 685 people missing and unaccounted for.
The Israeli Air Force bombs the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several others.
The U.K. becomes the first G7 country to phase out coal power for electric generation.
October:
The Israeli Defense Forces invade southern Lebanon escalating the conflict with Hezbollah.
Iran attacks Israel with ballistic missiles.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is killed in a gun fight with Israeli forces in Rafah.
November:
Donald Trump secures the support of tech billionaires who flood his campaign with big money. Robert Kennedy, Jr. endorses Trump and vows to continue his anti-vaccine crusade and dismantle the Department of Health.
Trump wins the 2024 election over concerns about immigration, and food and gas prices even though he demanded Republicans vote against a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill.
The international Criminal Cort issue arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif on charges of war crimes committed during the Israel-Hamas War.
Netanyahu announces a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
After opposition forces in Syria seize control of most of Aleppo causing Russian forces to begin airstrikes.
December:
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is killed by a gunman in Manhattan.
The Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens to the public after restorations to repair damage in a 2019 structural fire are completed.
Five people are killed and 235 injured after a car is driven into a crowd at a Christmas fair in Germany.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dies at 100 of brain cancer in his home in Plains, Georgia. In accordance with tradition all U.S. flags at federal buildings will be flown at half-staff for 30 days in his honor.